School demands NCEA exam review after 'dead certs' fail

The country's largest school is to demand the reassessment of student examination work, as the controversy over the secondary school qualifications widens.

Auckland's Rangitoto College said its top graphics students were "dead certs" to pass NCEA level three.

A dozen of them achieved "excellence" grades at levels one and two, and had passed level three internal moderation to the same standard.

But every one of them failed the external marking and the North Shore school is demanding answers.

Principal Allan Peachy said the external marking was "a travesty of justice and grossly unfair".

"There needs to be an open investigation into who is leading the exam process because this is clearly incompetence," he said.

The Qualifications Authority said the skills and knowledge required for external exams was "significantly different" to internal assessment.

But those affected at the school, which has 3000 students, are mystified as to why they did not pass.

The school's students have won the country's top graphics Bursary scholar in 2001 and 2002. In 2003 a Rangitoto student came second top.

Last year, Elizabeth Clarke thought she was on course to compete for the top award, having secured straight excellence grades for her the last two years.

The 18-year-old entered level three and scholarship and was told she had "not achieved" in both.

"When I saw the result I didn't believe it. I was just gutted. I felt I had wasted a year," she said.

Graphics students are examined by submitting portfolios to internal and external examination.

Head of graphics Michelle Laing said all 38 students' portfolios would be reviewed, and expected to resubmit about half.

"The system clearly has flaws," she said. " The evidence is that they should have passed."

Ms Laing said she supported the NCEA, but there did not appear to be anyone overseeing continuity between the different levels.

Level three and scholarship exams were introduced last year. The Government has already announced a new certificate after a report found scholarship exams were unfair.

NZQA group manager Kate Colbert said an excellence award in internal marking did not necessarily mean an excellence by the external marking standards.

"In School Cert days, the result was an accumulation of marks. Now, each graphic achievement standard is separate and stands alone."